Back to Sawtooth
by TetanicVenus
Summary: This is a story in which Kate did marry Garth, Humphrey ran away, and Lilly followed him. Currently rated T just to be safe because I'm not sure what I'm going to do in later chapters. HumphreyxLilly and KatexGarth.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hey guys, this is my first time ever writing creatively, so please keep that in mind when reading. Constructive criticism and feedback is greatly appreciated as I am not an experienced writer. I am not 100% sure where I want this story to go so any ideas you have are accepted and will be considered for later chapters (with credit given). Well, I hope you enjoy. Please review, like I said, this is my first time at creative writing, so I can only learn.**

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Humphrey's POV

I could hear the train whistle in the distance. I was walking to the train tracks, leaving Jasper Park behind me. I simply could not bear to watch Kate marry another wolf. I was so stupid to think I had a chance with her in the first place. She's an alpha, and I'm just a useless omega; it never would have worked. Still, it left a gaping hole in my soul. I was broken from my thoughts when I walked into a clearing, railroad tracks in front of me with a train coming my direction. As the train approached, I began to run alongside the tracks to make jumping on easier. I saw an open car as the train passed by me, and I leapt into the car. Being the clumsy omega I am, the landing was sloppy and I hit the floor with a thud, leaving me a little sore. I decided it was best for me to lie down, which left me to my thoughts again. My mind drifted to the conversation Kate and I had in the train before it was rudely interrupted by political conflict.

 _Flashback_

The moment I saw the sign for 'Jasper Park, Canada,' I was filled with dread. I didn't want our adventure to end, especially so soon. I looked back at Kate, still sound asleep. She looked so peaceful; I couldn't help but think how beautiful she looked like this. I could still just let her sleep and let us pass Jasper Park by. That thought was immediately ejected from my mind. She seemed so eager to get home, she actually had a family there, I couldn't do that to her. "Kate, Kate, wake up. Wake up" I whispered, nudging her with my nose. Her eyes fluttered open. "Humphrey? Where are we?" She asked, stretching. I could still... no. "We're- we're in Jasper."

She got up and walked over to the open door; I followed right behind her. She sat down at the opening, me sitting next to her. "Well, we're home," she said in a halfhearted voice. "Yep, we're home," I replied awkwardly. What followed was a brief, uncomfortable silence. "There's something," We said at the same time. "Please, you first," I offered. "Humphrey, I just wanted to tell you, these past couple of days, they've been kind of _fun_. You've been kind of _fun_ ," She said to my amazement. "Really?" I asked, smiling uncontrollably. "Really," she said with a slight chuckle. "Well, that's- that's great. I told you, we make a pretty good team," I said with a chuckle of my own. "We do." She replied. This made what I intended to say much easier, though still, I could already feel myself stuttering the words out before I even started talking. "Okay, um, well," I said fumbling with my feet. "No no no, don't tell me. You have to go to the bathroom again," she suggested. "Why? Do you see a truck stop?" I joked with an awkward laugh. This elicited a toothy smile from her. "I just wanted to tell you, I- I, um, I- I- I just wanted to tell you, I lo-," as I turned to look at her, trying to finish my statement, she was gone. I had missed my chance.

 _Flashback End_

Why? Why couldn't I have just said it? Why did she have to marry Garth? Why did I have to be an omega and she an alpha? Why did I have to be a weak, useless, good-for-nothing omega?! I had unconsciously slammed my paw to the ground at the last question. I decided it was probably best that I get some sleep, tomorrow being my first day as a lone wolf. As I drifted away, my thoughts still clung to Kate.

Kate's POV

I was about to marry a wolf I had never met. I couldn't believe I was doing this, and my conversation with Humphrey this morning certainly didn't help. "So, are you ready?" Garth asked, seeming to be a bit nervous. Then again, I guess he's in the same position I'm in. "Yes," I responded. "Good," he said, looking over my shoulder, which confused me. "Are you okay?" I asked, slightly concerned for my future husband. "You bet. No problems on this end. Ready to go go go," he said, crouching down. "So you wanna start this thing or me?" He asked, standing back up. "We'll start together," I said. "Start together, yeah," he replied.

The ceremony began with us accepting each other's scent. Then, we nibbled on the other's right ear. Finally, the last and most important step came: the rubbing of the noses. This step symbolizes the joining of two wolves as mates. I was hesitant to initiate this final step, but for the good of the pack, I'd do anything. Plus, maybe this isn't so bad. Like Lilly said, he's big and brawny, maybe not perfect, but certainly not bad. I inched closer and closer to him until finally, our noses touched. A part of me imagined that is was Humphrey I was rubbing noses with, but I had to put those thoughts out of my head. I gave him a warm smile that he returned. I hadn't even noticed the two packs cheering and howling for us. Everyone seemed so happy, so maybe this was a good thing.

Lilly's POV

Everybody was so happy that the packs were united that no one noticed me fighting back tears. I don't know why this hit me so hard; the first time I met him I already knew he was arranged to be married to Kate. I should have known that it never would have worked out. After the ceremony, I went back to the den and lay down by myself, letting my thoughts engulf me.

Trying to keep my thoughts away from the newlyweds, my mind drifted to Humphrey. I hadn't seen him at the ceremony, but I guess that is to be expected. I had always known he had a thing for Kate, so he must be taking this pretty hard. Kate had always had a thing for Humphrey too, but she always denied it, being the rule-follower she is. I figured when they disappeared, they might have run off together, but I guess Kate's responsibility brought them back. Yes, it brought them back so that she could marry Garth. Marry my Garth. I paused at that thought. How could I take possession of him when she was promised to him before I even met him? I never even stood a chance. I didn't even notice a tear rolling down my cheek.

I stood up, wiping away the tear, and left the den for a quick stroll. This was partly so I could get my mind off of the events of today, and partly to go talk to Humphrey and see how he's doing. I arrived at his den after about ten minutes. It was small and quite a distance, in the outskirts of the pack. I always wondered why he decided to live out here. "Humphrey?" I called out, walking into his den. Nobody. I grew very concerned. I had overheard his conversation with Kate earlier that day, but I didn't think he would actually leave Jasper Park. I ran to the train tracks, hoping he had missed a train and was there, waiting for another. When I came into the clearing, there was no sign of Humphrey, but his scent was still there, and it led straight to the train tracks. I heard the distant whistle of a train coming towards me. I thought about my life here in Jasper Park. I had lost the only wolf I loved to my sister. In my mind, I had no strong ties to this place anymore. As the train passed me by, I jumped into an open car, slamming into the other door, glad that it was closed. I walked to the opening of the train car and sat there, watching Jasper Park fade. I was leaving the only home I had ever known.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hey guys, sorry this took so long. I just got back from vacation where I didn't have wifi. On a happier note, wow. Just wow. This is my first entry on Fanfiction, I didn't expect nearly this much support. In the future, I will try to update once a week, but school is coming up so it may vary. Anyway, enjoy!**

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Humphrey's POV

When I woke up, the sun was starting to shine into the train car. I looked around for Kate, but she wasn't there. That's right, I was alone on this trip. I got up, walked over to the open door, and sat down, looking at the landscape. The place looked oddly familiar, but I couldn't place it. It certainly was nowhere near Jasper, so I figured now is as good a time as ever to jump off. I jumped off, landing a little clumsily, but staying on my feet.

The first thing that I wanted to find was water. After I find water, then I can focus on finding food and shelter. Food, I hadn't even thought of that when I left. I don't how to hunt. I had some idea from watching Kate, but not enough to actually take down any prey. That would have to wait, though. I was walking through a forest that seemed eerily familiar. When I walked out of the forest, there was a cliff in front of me, and a beautiful view of a mountain range. This was the cliff that Kate and I jumped down on our trip; I was back in Sawtooth. Fortunately, that means I know where the river is since Marcel dragged me through it. That also means I am protected from hunters and poachers, being in a national park, and unless they brought in another pair of wolves, that means there are no other wolves here.

I found a safe way down the cliff, surprisingly close to where I jumped off to impress Kate in vain. The memory of that brought my thoughts back to the events of yesterday. I had left Jasper Park. Sure, I would miss my friends, but I couldn't stand to see Kate with that other wolf. Shaking my head, I returned my thoughts to the task at hand. Heading towards the water, I felt something hit the top of my head. Looking down at what it was, a smile grew on my muzzle. It was one of Marcel's rocks. I looked up just in time to see the two fowl landing in front of me. "Marcel! Paddy! What are you doing here?" I said, the last time I had seen them being in Jasper. "We came to make sure you made it safely, and it seems you have done just that," Paddy said. "Oh, well thanks guys. I'm going to go get a drink. See you later," I said, trying to hide my sadness. By the looks on their faces, it didn't work, but they flew off anyways.

Now, I was back on my task to find the river, but I couldn't help but think about Kate. My mind drifted back to the short time we spent here. She was so eager to get home; I figured she just wanted to get back to her family. Why did she never tell me she was getting married? Of course, I knew it wasn't her fault, and that she was marrying him to stop the packs from going to war, but it would have been nice to know.

My thoughts were cut short by the sound of rushing water. When I came out of the forest, I was met by the river, along with some moose further downstream. This reminded me of my problem that I realized earlier. I would have to find some way to get food, but moose definitely was not my game. I took a few gulps of water, and sat down on the riverbank to consider my options. Moose, deer, and caribou were definitely out of the question. I could try for squirrel or rabbit, but I'm no master of stealth.

Well, might as well do something useful while I think about it. I need to find some shelter. Further downstream was the human ranger outpost, so I headed upstream in search of a den. After twenty minutes of searching along the river, I came across a den about fifty feet from the shore. It wasn't that big, but I guess I'm the only one that will ever be inside it, so it will work. Luck had decided to shine down on me for once, as a squirrel walked into my new den, unknowing of its fate. Surprised by the sudden food opportunity, I pounced at the squirrel, landing directly on it. I must have crushed it to death, because when I lowered my head to kill it, it was already dead. Well, that's one way of doing it, I thought to myself. I dug into the squirrel. Its flesh was tough, not nearly as tasty as caribou, but it satisfied my hunger. After eating my fill, it was getting pretty late. I walked outside my den and looked up at the full moon. It reminded me of the night Kate and I howled together, what a magical night that was. I couldn't help myself; I lifted my muzzle to the sky and howled at the moon. I howled out all of my sorrows and burdens. It was a solemn, lonely tune, laced with self-pity. When I was done, I walked back inside of the den, feeling a little better after that. I lied down in a corner away from the entrance, and drifted to sleep.

Lilly's POV

I woke up to the sound of a wolf howling. I looked around, realizing that I was not in my family's den. It only took a second for me to remember where I was; I had left Jasper. It was dark out. I must have slept through the whole day. Figures, I was up all last night making sure I didn't pass by where Humphrey got off. My mind focused back to the howl. I didn't recognize the howl itself, but the voice sounded oddly familiar. I then remembered that part of the reason I left was to find Humphrey. I had never heard him howl before. It was full of sadness and misery, which is understandable. He had lost everything, not only the love of his life, but his home and his friends.

I jumped off the train and headed to the source of the howl. When I reached a cliff overlooking the majority of the land, the howl stopped. I sniffed around, trying to catch a scent, since he must have come through here if he had come from the tracks. I was right. I caught his scent, and followed it down the cliff and through the woods. It came to a river where it was very strong. He must have stopped here to get a drink. I continued to follow it upstream until it led into a small den. When I went inside, I saw Humphrey curled into a ball in the corner. I decided it was probably best to let him sleep, so I lay down in the opposite corner and tried to go to sleep. Unfortunately, I had no such luck since I had slept all day, so I was left to my thoughts.

I was overwhelmed by regret. I don't know why; I'm not sure what I could have done differently. Maybe I simply regretted falling in love with him at all. Perhaps I regretted the whole ordeal: falling in love with him, having my heart broken, running away and leaving everything I had ever known behind. Whatever it may be, it's done, so I might as well get used to it. I finally began to fall asleep, not before wondering how I got myself into this mess.

I woke up, sun shining in my eyes. It was still very early in the day, and Humphrey was still asleep. I found myself staring at him. It was apparent just from looking at him how much he had been through. Despite this, I have to admit, he is kind of cute when he sleeps. I was pulled from these thoughts by my dry throat. I thought about waking him to ask him where the water was, but then I remembered where the den was located. Slapping myself mentally, I walked out of the den to get a drink.

I walked to the river and dipped my head to the water to get a drink. I took a good long drink, and dunked my head in the water to help wake me up. The water was agonizingly cold, and I pulled my head back out immediately. Shaking my fur dry, I walked back inside the den. In the corner, I saw the remains of a squirrel and was reminded that I hadn't eaten yesterday. I walked over to the squirrel, lay down in front of it, and started eating it.

After a minute, I had eaten the rest of the squirrel. I got up and looked over to Humphrey who was still asleep. Walking over to him, I examined him. His fur was knotted and dirty. His feet looked as though he had walked a thousand miles. He just radiated despair. Then, who am I to judge? I certainly didn't feel any better than he looked. I sat down next to him, wondering if I should wake him up, but that wouldn't be necessary as he began to stir, a small groan escaping him.

Humphrey's POV

As I began to wake, I let my thoughts take control. I thought about what had happened in the past days, and I wondered if it was the right choice to run away. I let my eyes flutter open, only to be met with a pair of lavender eyes staring straight back at me. I screamed in shock, jumping to my feet. As my vision started to become clearer, I saw the wolf. "Lilly?" I asked. To say I was surprised would be a huge understatement. What was she doing here? Had she followed me? If so, why? "Hey Humphrey, uh, surprise?" She said, seeming kind of anxious.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, still recovering from my shock. "Well, I came to make sure you were ok," she said. I could always tell when she wasn't telling me the whole truth, but I let it go for now. She had some blood on her muzzle. I looked over to the squirrel and found that it was just bones. I became amused at the sight of the innocent omega with blood on her muzzle. "What's so funny?" She asked. I guess my amusement was showing. "Oh nothing," I replied. "You aren't here to take me back to Jasper, are you? Because it's not happening," I said, a slight hint of bitterness in my tone, which did not go unnoticed by Lilly. "No," was all she said. I could sense the hurt in her voice and I immediately regretted my tone. We sat there in an uncomfortable silence, avoiding eye contact before I broke the silence. "Hungry?" I asked, smiling from the blood that was still on her muzzle. "Starving," she replied. "You might want to wash your face, first," I said as a walked past her, smirking. She put a paw to her muzzle and pulled it away, finding that it was covered in blood.

She followed me out of the den and washed her face in the river. I went to the water and took a long drink. I was still in shock that Lilly was here. So much for the lonely life of a lone wolf. I figured now was as good a time as ever to ask her why she had really left, but I wasn't sure how to go about asking her. "So Lilly, aren't you sad about leaving your family and friends behind in Jasper," I asked. In hindsight, that probably was not the best way to ask her, but it'll do. "Yeah," she said simply, somewhat solemnly. I gave her a questioning look, signaling for her to continue, but she didn't. I figured I shouldn't push the subject if she didn't want to talk about it. "Well I guess we should start worrying about the fact that neither of us know how to hunt," I said, changing the subject.

Kate's POV (previous day)

When I woke up, it took me a while to remember the events of yesterday. I was married; the concept was still very foreign to me. As I got up, I looked around the room. Winston and Eve were nowhere to be found, and not too far but a considerable distance away was Garth, still sound asleep. I took note that I also did not see Lilly, nor did she come home last night before I went to sleep. I walked to the entrance, stretching my legs a bit. I looked up to the sun that was a little ways into the sky. It was still early to mid morning. I decided that it would be good to find my parents.

I walked out of the den and down the hill. As I got to the bottom of the hill, I saw Hutch and walked over to him. "Hey Hutch, have you seen my parents around?" I asked. "I think they're still out looking for Lilly," he said. That took a second to process. "Come again?" I asked with wide eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry Kate, I thought you knew. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your sister is missing," he said. I was speechless. Had the humans come back for another pair of wolves once they noticed we were gone? "I can take you to them if you like?" I considered his offer, but I declined. "Thank you, but I have to tell Garth. Send them my way if you see them, will you?" I said. "Sure thing, Kate," he said, turning and walking away. As I walked back to the den, I began to wonder why she had disappeared. Surely the humans weren't back already.

When I arrived at the den, I called out to Garth as I walked in. When he came into sight, I noticed he was already up. "What's the matter Kate?" He asked. I guess my worry was showing through in my voice. "Lilly's missing," I told him. For some reason, that seemed to hit him harder than I thought it would as he visibly winced. I knew they had spent some time together, but I didn't think they actually got to know each other that well. "I didn't think she meant that much to you," I said in a somewhat surprised tone. With a sigh, he replied, "Kate, I think we should take a walk." I started getting suspicious. Following him out of the den, I thought about the possible topics he wanted to discuss.

At first, the walk was silent with only glances exchanged between the two of us. Garth was the first to break the silence. "Look, Kate, you're a great wolf and all, but I just want you to know that I'm not very emotionally attached to you," he said. "No offense," he quickly added. I chuckled at that last part. "Yeah, you aren't exactly my definition of perfect either, but we're married now, so we'll just have to get used to it," I said, still curious as to how this related to the disappearance of my sister. "The thing is, I'm in love... with another wolf," he finally said. "Oh?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. He gave me a dejected half-smile. Realization struck, and my jaw dropped to the ground. "Yeah," he drawled. I could not believe what I was being told. Garth, one of the most responsible, rule-following alphas I've ever known, was in love with my omega sister. I stayed like that for many moments before finally speaking. "Was it, you know, mutual?" I asked, still dazed from this new information. "I think so," he said grimly. "Train tracks," was all I got out before sprinting towards the boundary of the park.

After two minutes of running, I burst through the bushes into the clearing. I began sniffing around for Lilly's scent and immediately picked it up. It led straight to the train tracks, but was accompanied by another scent. I breathed more of it in, and my eyes shot open when I realized whose it was. I didn't think he would actually leave. Guilt flooded over me as Garth entered the clearing to find me collapsed on the ground. Running over to me, he asked, "Kate! Are you okay?" No, I was not okay. I had driven the only true friend I had ever had and the love of my life out of Jasper. I hadn't even told him I was getting married the whole trip. He must have felt horrible, betrayed, alone. I couldn't help it anymore; I burst into tears. I felt a weight on my back and a presence at my side. I opened my eyes to see that Garth was lying next to me, his arm around me, comforting me. He didn't say a word, he didn't need to: he already knew. When he saw those two come home, he knew there was more than friendship there. I turned my head and buried it into the fur on his neck, crying my eyes out. How could I have done that to such a sweet, caring, loving wolf? I felt him begin rubbing his paw on my back, which was surprisingly soothing. My sobs began to soften, and I started to regain myself. I sat up and turned to look at him as he did the same. "Thank you," I said to him, still sniffling a bit. He gave me a warm smile in return and wiped the remaining tears from my cheeks. "Come on, let's go tell your parents," he said in a soothing tone. I nodded in agreement, and with that, we started walking back to the head alpha's den.

"He meant a lot to you, didn't he?" Garth asked me. This brought my mind to all the happy memories we'd made together. Specifically, my thoughts went to the night on the train when Humphrey and I had howled at the moon together. Had we just stayed on the train, we could have been together. We could have lived the lives of lone wolves, and the packs would have fallen into chaos, and an untold amount of blood would have been shed. I had to come back to unite the packs; love just isn't worth lives lost. "Yeah," I finally responded, a smile growing from ear to ear on my face. "But we were just friends," I quickly added, forgetting that our relationship would mean breaking pack law. "Oh yes, of course. You two were obviously just friends," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. I gave him a light punch in the shoulder, which bought me a shove from him.

"Hey, Kate, um, do you mind if we leave the part about me and Lilly out? Your mother scares me," he said. "Oh? But why on earth would she scare _you_? I mean, you are the best alpha ever after all," I said in a teasing tone. This elicited a displeased, slightly annoyed look from him. "Not when it comes to one of Eve's daughters I'm not," he said trying his best to hide his anxiety. This amused me to see the most confident, self-centered wolf I have ever met so scared. "It's alright, tough guy. My lips are sealed," I reassured him. He gave a huge sigh of relief, a weight visibly being taken off of his shoulders. The rest of the walk continued in a comfortable silence.

Shortly, we arrived at the head alpha's den to find that Winston and Eve were sitting atop the ledge overlooking the valley. We walked up the slope to the den and sat down next to the two leaders. "Kate, I-" Eve started, but I interrupted her. "Mom, Garth and I found Lilly's scent near the train tracks," I began. Eve visibly shuddered. Her own daughter, leaving by her own free will. "And there's something else. Humphrey's scent was there too," I continued. Without warning, her mood changed from one of sadness, to one of pure rage. "If that boy touched my little girl, or had anything to do with her disappearance, I will cut off each of his individual toes, smash them into a paste, and drown him in it while I tear open that worthless piece of-" "Mother!" I interrupted. "You know he's not like that," I told her. This seemed to send her back into sadness. "But why would she want to leave?" She asked, her words diminishing into a whisper. Winston came up behind her and brought her into a comforting embrace. "I don't know, Eve," he said to her. It pained me to see her like this, but telling her why she left would just make her want to murder Garth. "I'm sure she'll come back, mom. Whatever the reason, her family means more to her, she just doesn't realize that right now," I told her. This seemed to ease her mind a little.

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 **AN: I ended the chapter here because I couldn't decide if I wanted Kate and Garth to go after Humphrey and Lilly or not, so I decided that I would give you, the readers, some input. Please send me your suggestion on whether they should stay or go in the reviews or pm me. Thanks for reading, see you guys next week.**


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